Paper parachute



L. G. L. THILEN PAPER PARACHUTE June 24, 1952 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed Jan. 11, 1949 June .4 2 G. L. THILEN 2,601,343

PAPER PARACHUTE Filed Jan. 11, 1949 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Patented June 24,v 1952 OFFICE PAPER PARACHUTE Leif Gunnar Levin Thiln, Nissafors, Sweden Application January 11, 1949, Serial No. 70,234 In Sweden September 30, 1948 3 Claims. 1

I This invention relates to parachutes and especially to such as are fabricated from paper material. More specifically stated the invention is concernedwith a parachute of the type stored in a suitable container and made of paper, either smooth or craped, said parachute being in the shape of a canopy consisting of a plurality of substantially trapezoidal or triangular sheet members the small ends or apices of which are directed towards the center of the canopy, the latter being preferably provided with a central aperture, and any two adjacent ones of which members are interconnected at their radially extending edges by bonding, and which overlap one another and are bonded together at their radial joints, strengthening wires being associated with said radial joints, each one of said wires extending on the outside of said joint and longitudinally thereof, and being covered by a strengthening strip bonded to the outside of the same, and being further extended to serve as a shroud line, said wires being interconnected at the center of the parachute, and said sheet members being each provided with at least one air vent or slot in substantially parallel relation to and spaced from the edge of the parachute, and are further provided at the peripheral edge of the parachute with edge reinforcing means.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved parachute of the type described which is more durable than those hitherto known.

Another object of the invention is to provide convenient means for packing the parachute and for attaching the objects to be lowered from on aircraft by means of the parachute.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means for throwing out and unfolding the parachute.

For the objects stated, according to the invention, a parachute of the type referred to is principally characterized by the feature that, the edge-reinforcement means has been provided for by folding the edge portions of the sheet members, preferably towards the interior of the parachute, and by bonding the folded-in portions of said sheet members.

Further according to the invention the edge portion of oneoi the sheet members situated at any. given radial joint also may preferably be folded about the strengthening wire associated therewith.

According to a further feature of the invention the shroud lines may be secured to a clamp at- .tached to the bottom of the package or container for the parachute and extending through the same in order to enable attachment thereto of packages containing food or other articles intended to be lowered to the ground from an aircraft by means of the parachute.

Further features of the invention will be apparent from the following description in greater detail of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings illustrating an embodiment of the invention by way of example only, and in which:

Fig. 1 shows the parachute in its unfolded condition.

Fig. 2 shows the parachute in its condition of being collapsed and wrapped up in its container.

Fig. 3 shows a fastening clamp secured to the bottom of the container and intended for carrying the articles to be lowered from an aircraft by means of the parachute.

Fig. 4 shows the canopy of the parachute as seen from above.

Fig. 5 is a cross-section taken along line V-V in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective and sectionview taken along line VI-VI in Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings, numeral I designates a plurality of sheet-members of the parachute, and numeral 2 a second plurality of parachute-members which are combined with each other so as to form a canopy and in such a manner as to form at least one slot or air vent 3 between the parachute-members l and 2 and in spaced relation to the outer edge of the parachute, and to form an opening 4 at the center of the said canopy. Said apertures 3 and 4 are intended to permit part of the air to pass through the parachute when it is being thrown out thereby reducing the stress exerted on the parachute when, on unfolding, the parachute is suddenly retarded by'the air. Any two adjacent sheetmembers I as well as any two adjacent sheetmembers 2 are interconnected by adhesive bonding so as to form radial joints which are made in the following manner:

The sheet-members are placed in overlying relation and so as to overlap at their edges after which an adhesive such as a layer of glue 5 is applied between the two sheet-members at the extreme edge of one of the sheet-members so that the sheet-members are bonded together at this locality. The exceeding portion 6 of the other sheet-member is then folded about a strengthening wire 1 arranged longitudinally of the radial joint and being at the center 8 of the parachute connected to similar strengthening wires associated with the other radial joints. All the strengthening wires are extended below the parachute to form shroud lines 9 which are secured to a clamp In. The folded edge portion 6 is subsequently bonded by means of a layer of glue II to its own sheet-member. Over the joint thus obtained a strengthening strip I2 is then applied and is bonded to the two sheet-members by means of layers of glue [3 and M, respectively. The strip I2 is folded. inwardly towards the interior of the parachute both at the outer edge and at the edge of the opening 8 of the parachute and is secured thereto by bonding, the strip being also provided with an aperture (not shown) through which the wire 1 is passed.

The edge portions of the sheet-members -l at 1 the margin of the slot 3 is doubled, as will be best seen from Fig. 6, the folded-in edges I'S'being bonded to the sheet-member on the innersurface thereof. In a similar manner the sheet-members 2 also have a doubled edge 16 adjacent the slot 3 and opening 8, respectively. p

The parachute may suitably be stored in a cardboard box H, in which case the clamp will be fastened to the bottom 18 of the box being preferably reinforced'as indicated in Fig. 2. In this instance, the clamp'is passed'throughan aperture in the bottom of the box or container, the same being retained'by two rigidstrips 'I9, 20 of stiffened cardboard'o'r the like at right angles to eachother and arranged on either side of the bottom and passing through openings in the clamp, saidstrips I9 and 20 being fastened'to the bottom by means of gummed strips or the like 2 I, 22.

In this case the shroud lines are, of course,

fastened to that portion of the clamp situated inside the container, whereas fastening elements 23 for the articles to be lowered by means of the parachute are intended to be attached to the clamp outside the box or container.

The parachute, as illustrated in Fig. 2, is folded in a concertina-like manner in the cardboard box l1, and the shroud lines 9 also are coiled therein, after which the box has been closed by means of a thin sheet of paper 'of'a thinness such as to readily burst as the parachute is being removed fromou't' of'the box and brought from the position shown in Fig. 2int'o the position shown in Fig. 1. At the center of the box there is fastened a thin wire, a so=-called ripc'ord '26,

the other end of which i's fastened to one end of a release wire 21 intended to be fastened t'o'the aircraft, as indicated at 28, whenthe parachute on the container.

When the pa-raclu'iteand its-load 24 is to be lowered, then =the ring 3ll isfastened to the release wire 21secured't'o' the aircraft, after having first refnoved'th'e'covert l. The container I"! and the hadn't-secured thereto i's'thll thrown Out. In so doing, the wire -21 "will be extended to its full length, and the folded chute Will he pulled but of thecontainer 'll' cau's'ing the thin paper sheet 25 to burst. The'wiraz-l should-be or adequate strength 'to 'be ableJ-to withstand the stress mvolved upon unfolding of the chute. To that end the wire would preferably be dimensioned to withstand a load of at least 200 to 220 lbs. The rip cord 26, however, being intended to burst when the release wire has been extended to its full length, should burst for a load as low asv to lbs. at most.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described and as illustrated in the drawing by way of example but is capable of being varied in a number of different ways within the scope of the appended claims.

Thus the shroud lines 9 coiled and placed in the container could be twisted together one or more turns in such a manner as to cause the parachute not to be completely unfolded until the loadhasrotated through a corresponding number of turns after dropping the chute from the aircraft.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A parachute constructed of paper and adapted forstowage in a container, said parachute being in the shape of a canopy consisting of a plurality of substantially trapezoidal sheets, the small ends of which are di're'ctedtowards the center of 'said canopy, said canopy having a central aperture therein, adjacent radially extending edges of said sheets being interconnected by adhesive and'overlapping one another, strengthening Wires extending along said radially joined edges, each of said wires extending on the outside of eachsaid joint and longitudinally thereof,

a strengthening strip bonded to and covering the outside of each said joint, said wires being extended beyond said canopy and constituting shroud lines, said wires being interconnected at the center of the parachute, said sheets each having a slot constituting an air vent insubstantially parallel relation to, and spaced from the outeredge of the parachute, edge reinforcing means at the peripheral edge of the parachute, said edge reinforcing means comprising folded the interior of the 2. A parachute as claimed in claim 1, and 'in which the edge portion of one of the sheet'members at each radial joint isfolded about th'e'assoelated-strengthening Wire and said'wire and the associated folded edge portion are adhesively secured tosaid folded sheet and the adjacent overlapped sheet.

3. A parachute constructed of paper and adapted for stowage in a container, said parachutebeing inthe shape of a canopy'consisting'of a plurality of substantially trapezoidal sheets, the small ends of whichare directed towards the center ofsaid canopy, said canopy having a central aperture thereimradially extending adjacent edges of said sheets being interconnected by adhesive and-overlapping one another, strengthem in'g w-ires extending along said radially joined edges, 'each of said wires extending on the outside of each said joint and longitudinally'thereof, a strengthening strip bonded to and covering the outside of each said joint, said wires being extended beyond said canopy and constituting shroud lines, said wires being interconnected at the center of the parachute, said canopy having atleast one slot constituting an air vent in substantially parallel relation to, and spaced from the outer'edg'e of the parachute, edgereiiiforcing means at the peripheral edge of the parachute, said edge reinforcing means comprising folded edge portions of said sheet members, the folded portions of said sheet members being adhesively bonded to said sheet members, the edge 5 portion of one of the sheet members at each radial joint being folded about the associated strengthening wire and said wire and the associated folded edge portion being adhesively secured to said folded sheet and the adjacent over- 16 lapped sheet.

LEIF GUNNAR LEVIN THILEN.

6 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

